Apparatus for treatment of webs or yarns



1966 K. J. WINDHAUSEN 3,233,437

APPARATUS FOR TREATMENT OF WEBS OR YARNS Filed Jan. 20, 1964 2Sheets-Sheet 1 1 r w l (03 1 I oo 00 l :5 1 \300 0'09 I ooooooooa; l]-oooooooob 000 9, o PI ggf if INVENTOR. 4294 dose-PH Mum/awn Fe 8, 19 K.J. WINDHAUSEN APPARATUS FQR TREATMENT OF WEBS 0R YARNS Filed Jan. 20,1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m L QN 8 rig- 52 A inl iliii! I INVENTOR. findosc' fi M/YD/{A BY MM QM W4M ATTOIPNEYS United States Patent 3,233,437APPARATUS FOR TREATMENT OF WEBS 0R YARNS Karl Joseph Windhausen,Wattwil, Canton of St. Gall, Switzerland, assignorto Heberlein PatentCorporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 20,1964, Ser. No. 338,911 Claims priority, applicatigg/Syitzerland, Jan.23, 1963,

7 Claims. (Cl. 68-150) This invention relates to apparatus for thetreatment of webs or yarns, and, more particularly, to apparatus whichis adapted to treat lengths of such material having diiferent linealwidths.

Heretofore, a variety of apparatuses have been known for treatingmaterials such as textile materials, for example, in the form of webs asof woven or knitted goods, or yarns, with liquids for desizing, boiling,bleaching, or dyeing and the like, such materials being presented fortreatment in a variety of widths. In one form of known apparatus, thematerial to be treated is wound up on the perforated jacket of arotating drum, and the liquid is admitted to the drum and is forcedthrough the perforations and the material by centrifugal force andpumping pressure. However, it will be appreciated, for example, that ifa drum is provided with a Wide perforated area and only a narrow lengthof material is wound upon the drum, then the liquid will find it easierto flow through the uncovered perforations and excessive quantities ofliquid will be consumed before the treatment is completed.

In the known constructions, this difficulty was overcome by the costlyexpedient of providing a special perforated drum for each width ofmaterial to be treated, the drums being mountable interchangably on themachine.

I have conceived a completely new and different combination of elementsthat yield extraordinarily good results while avoiding the foregoingdifficulties and disadvantages. Thus, as a result of my concept, I amable to adjust the annular area or band of effective perforations in adrum to correspond in width to the Width of the material being treated,and thereby to achieve a precise regulation of the supply of liquid,steam or other vapour utilized in the treatment with a single drumregardless of the width of the material being treated.

In essence, my invention comprises a drum rotatable about itslongitudinal axis and formed with .a series of perforations in itscylindrical surface, means for introducing fluid into the drum, a numberof perforated flexible bands adjacent the inner cylindrical surface ofthe drum, and means selectively positioning the bands individually tolocate the perforations therein out of registry or in various degrees ofregistry with the perforations in the drum.

As a feature of my invention, I form in the drum a number of slitsspaced longitudinally of the drum and each extending in a directioncircumferentially of the drum, and I provide a bolt extending througheach slit and rotatable from the outside of the drum to cooperate withthe parts of the drum forming the sides of the slit and with a bandwithin the drum to loosen the b and, adjust its position as desired, andtighten it against the inner wall of the drum. It will be understood bythose persons skilled in the art that only one slit and tightening meansis necessary for each band, but if desired, two or more sets ofcooperating slits and tightening means may be spaced circumferentiallyof the drum for each band, in which case, each band will actuallyconsist of several arcuate pieces.

As another feature of my invention, I provide means to assure that thebands are pressed tightly against the inner surface of the drum when inany desired position of ad- 3,233,437 Patented Feb. 8, 1966 justment.These means may comprise wedges that cooperate with the ends of the bandwhen acted upon by tightening means, or bolts operable from without thedrum effectively to press the bands against the drum wall. Actually, forthis purpose I prefer to employ the same bolts that I have alreadymentioned as securing the bands in position circumferentially relativelyto the drum so that the respective apertures in the drum and bands willbe in the selected relative positions.

A further feature of my invention resides in the provision of a layer ofsealing material such as rubber on the outer surface of the bands. Ofcourse the layer of sealing material has perforations corresponding tothose in the bands themselves.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course,ad ditional features of the invention that will be described hereinafterand which will form the subject of the claims appended hereto. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which thisdisclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designingof other structures for carrying out the several purposes of theinvention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded asincluding such equivalent construction as do not depart from the spiritand scope of the invention.

A specific embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description, .and is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly broken away, illustratingapparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view illustrating details of theapparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 44 of FIG. 3 andillustrating a band in tightened position relatively to the drum;

FIG. 5 is a detail view in perspective of a part of the tighteningmeans;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but illustrating the band inloosened condition;

FIG. '7 is a detail view in cross-section illustrating the relationshipof band and drum with the respective perforations thereof in fullregistry;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, but showing the respectiveperforations of the band and drum out of registry; and

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 7, but illustrating a modification ofthe invention.

Referring now to the drawings, and, more particularly, to FIGS. 1 and 2thereof, there is shown a drum 10 comprising end plates 11 formed withannular flanges 12 set radially inwardly of the perimeters of the platesto provide shoulders 14 for supporting between them a cylindrical jacket15 in sealed relation to the end plates. This jacket 15 is formed with aseries of longitudinal rows of perforations 16 spaced circumferentiallytherearound, each row extending between points spaced inwardly of theend plates. These perforations are preferably of the order of 8 mm. indiameter and about 24 mm. on centers circumferentially andlongitudinally.

A hollow axle 17 passes through the end plates 11 and extends centrallythrough the drum 10. Annular plates 19 (only one of which is shown) arewelded to the axle 17 just inwardly of the end plates 11, and theopenings in end plates are sealed by bolting the plates 19 to theadjacent plates 11 with sealing discs 20 positioned between the two.That portion of the axle extending between the end plates, i.e. theportion within the drum 10, is formed with a series of spaced, radialapertures 21 for a purpose later to be described.

To further secure the drum to the axle, I provide several spacedpartitions 22 parallel to the end plates and extending radially betweenthe drum jacket and the axle 17 to each of which they are secured as bywelding. Each of these partitions has a number of relatively large holes24 (FIG. 2) to permit free communication between adjacent compartmentsformed thereby. A number of tie rods 25 extend between the end plates11, passing through the partitions 22 to which they may be welded, tocontribute longitudinal rigidity and tightness to the assembly.

Within the drum and distributed along its length in side by sideadjacent disposition in each compartment formed by the partitions 22, Iprovide a number of bands 26 formed with perforations 27 (FIGS. 7 and 8)of the same size and shape and the same distance apart as theperforations in the jacket 15 Referring now to FIGS. 3 to 6, it will beseen that the ends of each band have opposed tong-like legs 29, thefacing surfaces of which diverge downwardly, as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 6,each to merge with an inwardly directed surface forming part of a footat the base of each leg. Positioned between each pair of legs 29 is awedge block 30 (FIG. 5) having a central threaded bore 31 for receptionof a bolt 32 that passes through a slit 34 in the jacket 15, as shown inFIGS. 3, 4 and 6. The wedge block also has inclined side surfaces 35 forcooperation with the divergent surfaces of the legs 29. Thus, it will beappreciated that when the bolt is tightened from outside the drum, thewedge block surfaces 35 will bear against the facing surfaces of thelegs 29 to force the legs and attached ends of the respective band 26apart and the band itself tightly against the jacket 15. To assist intightening the wedge block against the jacket, a pair of resilientstrips 36 of rubber or the like may be fixed in suitable recesses in theouter face of each such block. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6,when the bolt is loosened the wedge block 30 moves away from the jacketreleasing the legs 29 and the band ends.

As has already been stated, the jacket has a slit 34 for each bolt 32.Each slit extends in a direction circumferentially of the jacket(FIG. 1) and is preferably at least as long as the distance betweencenters of corresponding perforations 16 in the jacket. The edges of theslits converge towards the inside of the drum to carry the bolt headswhich are correspondingly shaped for the purpose in recessed dispositionrelatively to the jacket. It is important here to realize that when thebolts and wedge blocks are loosened, the bands 26 can be shiftedcircumferentially so that their perforations 27 can be positionedopposite the space between the perforations 16 in the jacket 15 (FIG. 8)or in varying degrees of registration with the perforations 16 and tofull registration therewith (FIG. 7). Each band can be individuallyadjusted in this way to control the location and degree of openings inthe jacket. Thus, the effective perforations through the drum can bevaried as desired with regard to the width of the material being treatedand to regulate the flow of fluid according to the characteristics ofthe material and the nature of the particular process or treatment.

While I prefer to form the bands 26 of stainless steel, they may consistof any material having the necessary flexibility and resistance to heatand the chemicals to be used in the treating processes. Additionally, asshown in FIG. 9, strips 37 of a suitable sealing material, such asrubber, may be bonded or otherwise fixed to the outer surface of thestrips 26. Such strips will, of course, be perforated correspondinglywith the bands themselves.

In operation, I position each of the bands 26 so as selectively tocontrol the number, location and effective size of the perforations inthe jacket 15 according to the width and nature of the material to betreated and the particular treatment to be undertaken. The material isthen wound upon the drum layer upon layer to form a roll thereon, thedrum axle preferably extending in a horizontal plane. Any perforationsbeyond the ends of the roll will, of course, have been closed. Thetreating fluid is then admitted through the hollow axle 17 and passesthrough the apertures 21 into the compartments between the partitions22, and the axle and drum are rotated so that centrifugal force directsthe fluid outwardly through the area of perforations uncovered by thebands and into the material roll. Fluid may, of course, pass betweencompartments through the openings 24 therein.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I contribute by myinvention, a novel construtcion of the class described by which I amable selectively to locate and adjust the total effective area ofperforations in the drum economically to regulate the quantity of fluidused in a particular process and to permit the use of a single drum forall treatments regardless of the width or nature of the material.

These advantages of my apparatus, in comparison with the knownconstructions already referred to, is expressed with particular clarityin the following comparative example:

A cotton imitation poplin web, pre-treated with caustic soda lye of 6B., with a weight of 150 g./sq. m., a woven width of cm. and a length of6,000 m., was Wound on a drum with an external diameter of 50 cm., theouter diameter of the web roll being cm. This fabric 'roll was subjectedto a wash treatment with :boiling water, the perforations of the drumjacket being uncovered along a distance longitudinally of the drum of 85cm. beneath the web roll which thus overextended the area of uncoveredperforations by 5 cm. at each end thereof. The drum was operated at arotation speed of 300 revolutions per minute. It was observed that 60minutes was required for the outer surface of the roll to react neutral,i.e. to be fully washed. The same experiment was then carried out again,except that this time the drum perforations were covered and uncoveredin alternating circumferential rows by properly positioning the flexiblebands 11 within the jacket. The upper surface of the web roll was alsoneutral after 60 minutes of washing treatment, however, in this case theconsumption of washing fluid was reduced 'by 25% I believe that theconstruction and operation of my invention will now be understood, andthat the advantages thereof will be fully appreciated by those personsskilled in the art.

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the class described comprising, a drum formed wit-h aseries of perforations in its cylindrical surface, means mounting saiddrum for rotation about its longitudinal axis, means for introducingfluid into the drum, a plurality of perforated flexible bands adjacentthe inner cylindrical surface of the drum, and means selectivelypositioning the bands individually to locate the perforations thereinrelatively to the perforation-s in said drum.

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising, a drum formed wit-h aseries of perforations in its cylindrical surface, means mounting saiddrum for rotation about its longitudinal axis, means for introducingfluid into the drum, a plurality of perforated flexible bands adjacentthe inner cylindrical surface of the drum, slit means formed in saidcylindrical surface of said drum, and means extending from extcriorly ofsaid drum through said slits and shiftable therealong each to engageopposite ends of said bands and selectively to position said bandsindividually to locate the perforations therein relatively to theperforations in said drum and to retain said bands and drum in theselected relationship.-

3. Apparatus of the class described comprising, a drum formed with aseries of perforations in its cylindrical surface, means mounting saiddrum for rotation about its longitudinal axis, means for introducingfluid into the drum, a plurality of perforated flexible bands adjacentthe inner cylindrical surface of the drum, slit 'means formed in saidcylindrical surface of said drum, tightening means extending fromexteriorly of said drum through said slits and shifta'ble therealongselectively to position said bands individually to locate theperforations therein relatively to the perforations in said drum, andwedge surfaces on ends of said bands and said tightening meanscooperating to spread the band ends and press said bands against theinner cylindrical surface of said drum to retain said bands each in itsselected position upon actuation of said tightening means.

4. Apparatus of the class described comprising a drum formed with aseries of perforations in its cylindrical surface, means mounting saiddrum for rotation about its longitudinal axis, means for introducingfluid into the drum, a plurality of perforated flexible bands adjacentthe inner cylindrical surface of the drum, slit means formed in saidcylindrical surface of said drum, tightening means including wedgeblocks within said drum and bolts extending from exteriorly of said drumthrough said slits and shiftable therealong selectively to position saidbands individually to locate the perforations therein relatively to theperforations in said drum, and wedge surfaces on ends of said bands andsaid wedge blocks cooperating to spread the band ends and press saidbands against the inner cylindrical surface of said drum to retain saidbands each in its selected position upon actuation of said bolt-s.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein sealing 8 means are fixed tosaid wedge blocks facing the adjacent inner surface of said drum.

6. Apparatus of the class described comprising, a drum formed with aseries of perforations in its cylindrical surface, means mounting saiddrum for rotation about its longitudinal axis, including an 'axlepassing through said drum, means for introducing fluid into the drum,perforated partitions extending radially between said axle and drum andsecured to same, a plurality of perforated flexible bands adjacent theinner cylindrical surface of the drum, and means selectively positioningthe bands individually to locate the perforations therein relatively tothe perforations in said drum.

7. Apparatus of the class described comprising, a drum formed withperforations in its cylindrical surface, means mounting said drum forrotation about its longitudinal axis, means for introducing fluid intothe drum, a plurality of perforated flexible bands adjacent the innercylindrical surface of the drum, sealing means coextensive with therespective bands and having corresponding apertures therein, saidsealing mean-s being secured to the outer surface of each band, andmeans selectively positioning the bands individually to locate theperforations therein relatively to the perforations in said drum.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 434,136 8/1890Peck 68189 459,021 9/ 1891 Schaefer 68-7 486,739 11/1892 Schaefer 68-73,100,979 8/1963 Stanway 68-150 IRVING BUNEVICH,,Primary Examiner.

1. APPARATUS OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED COMPRISING, A DRUM FORMED WITH ASERIES OF PERFORATIONS IN ITS CYLINDRICAL SURFACE, MEANS MOUNTING SAIDDRUM FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS, MEANS FOR INTRODUCINGFLUID INTO THE DRUM, A PLURALITY OF PERFORATED FLEXIBLE BANDS ADJACENTTHE INNER CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF THE DRUM, AND MEANS SELECTIVELYPOSITIONING THE BANDS INDIVIDUALLY TO LOCATE THE PERFORATIONS THEREINRELATIVELY TO THE PERFORATIONS IN SAID DRUM.